Anti-rail-creeper.



R. J. BERTHOUD.

ANTI-RAIL-CREEPER.

APPLICATION men OCT. 13. r915.

Patented Bed 7, 1915.

' WITNESSES:

' instance.

I RAY J. BERTHOUD, 0F SWANTON, OHIO.

ANTI-RAIL- CREEPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

Applicationfied October 13, 1915. .Serial No. 55,595.

To all Whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,'RAY J. BERTHOUD, a citizen of the United-States, residing at Swanton, in the county of Fulton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Anti-Rail-Creepers;

and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

A familiar difficulty encountered in railway operation,especially in double track roads in which the traffic upon the'respective tracks isin but one direction,is the tendency of the rails to overcome their fasten ings to the ties and to creep longitudinally. Various devices have been proposed for overcoming this diihculty, and some of the anti-creepers have, in a measure,

proved successful. Usually in these devices a slight longitudinal movement of the rail causes the antirail-creeper to closely grip, the foot of the rail and to prevent its further movement, but the rail must first move in order to cause an effective grip upon 1ts flange. Now, when the reaction from the blows of the passing car-wheels takes place, or when an opposite stress occurs from trains moving in the other direction, the hold of thegripping device is loosened and before it can again properly grip the rail the rail must move slightly beyond the gripping point at which it was held in the first Thus the gripping device is constantly loosening, its hold and as often takinga new hold at a point slightly in advance of its last preceding hold, so that while the creep of the rail is retarded it is not wholly prevented. To overcome the difficulty above indicated, some devices of this class are provided with means for positively anchoring the rail-gripping member to an adjacent cross-tie, thus adding to the number of parts. weight and expense of, the device.

My invention is designed to provide means for overcoming the difficulties above indicated, and, more particularly, to provide a device of the character indicatedwvhich shall, independently of the movement of the rail or of any anchorage to the cross-tie, so. firmly grip the base or flange of the rail that the longitudinal movement of the rail-will in the accompanying drawings, in w-hich' I Figure 1 is a top-plan view of my device fixed upon a track-rail and in operative relation to across-tie; Fig. 2, a-perspective view of the approximately triangular creeping member hereinafter referred to, detached; Fig. 3, a perspective'viewof the wedge herefinafter referred to, detached, and Fig. 4, a

transverse sectional elevation of my device taken on line 0bm, Fig.1.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

In the drawings, 1 is a cross-tie and 2 a track-rail of the usual construction and having an ordinary base or flange 3.

A: is a stout casting, approximately triangular in outline, each angle being provided with an upturned hook. The casting is disposed transversely of and resting against the a under side of the base of the rail. Hook 5, at the more acute angle. of the casting, engages one margin of the foot of the rail. Hook 6 engages the opposite margin of the rail. This angle of the casting is also provided with a downwardly projecting head 7 adapted to abut against the neighboring cross-tie. The remaining angle of the cast ing is provided with a hook 8. The hooks 6 and 8 are connected by an integral bar or member 9, channeled on its inner side, as at 10. Hooks 5 and 6 being engaged with opposite margins of the base of the rail with the head 7 abutting against the neighboring tie, a wedge 11 is driven between the hook 8 and the margin of the rail and into the channel 10, thus powerfully swinging the hookportion 8 away from the rail and bringing the hooks 5 and 6 into close gripping en- ,gagement with opposite margins of the base The wedge 11 is slightly chan-,

ofthe rail. neled on its straigl it edge which contacts with the edge of the rail-flange and has a downwardly projecting head to facilitate the driving of the wedge into position.

While I have shown, by way of illustration, the principal member at my device as shown or as i'nay be desired.

It will, be seen that the device here .described may be readily attached and may be as readily rennved by merely driving the wedge into or out of operative position. It will also be understood that these anti-creepers are applied to both rails of the track at suitable distances apart and that they may, if desired, be reversed or doubled in such fashion as to prevent the movement of the rail in either direction.

Having described my invention, what I claim and. desire to secure by Letters latent, is

1. In a device oi? the described character. a rigid casting approximatelv triangular in outline, one corner of the eastinn' having a hook adapted for elm'agement with one mar- Goples of this patent may be obtained for The device may be progrin of a tra -k-rail-flange, another corner of the casting having a hook adapted for engagement with the opposite margin of such' being: joined with the remaining hook by a channeled member, and a wedge adapted to be driven between said remaining hook and one of said margins and into said channel.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PAY J. BERTHOUD.

' l itnesses:

Roy SPENCER, Gnn'rnnnn BRAGKER.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of 1 mm.

Washington, I). C. 

